Horses are sensitive to baby talk: pet-directed speech facilitates communication with humans in a pointing task and during grooming

Lansade, Léa; Trösch, Miléna; Parias, Céline; Blanchard, Alice; Gorosurreta, Elodie; Calandreau, Ludovic

doi:10.1007/s10071-021-01487-3

Cited by 20 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…This study also indicates that the attention level for the cognitive task of individual horses affects their performance of the task. These results, together with those of previous studies 23,24,41 , show the importance of considering the motivation level of individuals/species in socio-cognitive studies in animals.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Horses with sustained attention follow the pointing of a human who knows where food is hidden

Ringhofer

Trösch

Lansade

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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When interacting with humans, domesticated species may respond to communicative gestures, such as pointing. However, it is currently unknown, except for in dogs, if species comprehend the communicative nature of such cues. Here, we investigated whether horses could follow the pointing of a human informant by evaluating the credibility of the information about the food-hiding place provided by the pointing of two informants. Using an object-choice task, we manipulated the attentional state of the two informants during food-hiding events and differentiated their knowledge about the location of the hidden food. Furthermore, we investigated the horses’ visual attention levels towards human behaviour to evaluate the relationship between their motivation and their performance of the task. The result showed that horses that sustained high attention levels could evaluate the credibility of the information and followed the pointing of an informant who knew where food was hidden (Z = − 2.281, P = 0.002, n = 36). This suggests that horses are highly sensitive to the attentional state and pointing gestures of humans, and that they perceive pointing as a communicative cue. This study also indicates that the motivation for the task should be investigated to determine the socio-cognitive abilities of animals.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Horses with sustained attention follow the pointing of a human who knows where food is hidden

Ringhofer

Trösch

Lansade

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…PDS shares similar structural properties to infant-directed speech (IDS) which captures and maintains infant attention and facilitates social interaction ( Cooper et al, 1997 ; review Saint-Georges et al, 2013 ). Recent studies found that dogs and horses are also sensitive to PDS which increases their attention and gaze towards humans compared to ADS and promotes interspecies communications ( Ben-Aderet et al, 2017 ; Lansade et al, 2021 ). Considering cats also have social cognitive abilities ( Vitale, Behnke & Udell, 2019 ) and the ability to use human cues ( Chijiiwa et al, 2021 ), they likely respond similarly to PDS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring women’s oxytocin responses to interactions with their pet cats

Johnson

Portillo

Bennett

et al. 2021

PeerJ

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Background Extensive research has evaluated the involvement of the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) in human social behaviors, including parent-infant relationships. Studies have investigated OT’s connection to human attachment to nonhuman animals, with the majority of the literature focusing on domestic dogs (Canis lupis familiaris). Utilizing what is known about OT and its role in maternal-infant and human-dog bonding, we apply these frameworks to the study of human-domestic cat (Felis catus) interactions. Methods We investigated changes in salivary OT levels in 30 U.S. women of reproductive age before and after two conditions: reading a book (control) and interacting with their pet cat. Participant and cat behavioral patterns during the cat interaction condition were also quantified to determine if differences in women’s OT concentrations were associated with specific human and cat behaviors. Results Our results revealed no changes in women’s OT levels during the cat interaction, relative to the control condition, and pre-cat interaction OT levels. However, differences in women’s OT concentrations were correlated with some human-cat interactions (e.g., positively with petting cat and cat approach initiation, negatively with cat agonistic behavior) but not all observed behaviors (e.g., use of gentle or baby voice) coded during human-cat interactions. Discussion This study is the first to explore women’s OT in response to interactions with their pet cat and has identified distinct human and cat behaviors that influence OT release in humans.

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“…PDS shares similar structural properties to infant-directed speech (IDS) which captures and maintains infant attention and facilitates social interaction (Cooper et al, 1997;review Saint-Georges et al, 2013). Recent studies found that dogs and horses are also sensitive to PDS which increases their attention and gaze towards humans compared to ADS and promotes interspecies communications (Ben-Aderet et al, 2017;Lansade et al, 2021). Considering cats also have social cognitive abilities (Vitale, Behnke, & Udell, 2019) and the ability to use human cues (Chijiiwa et al, 2021), they likely respond similarly to PDS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #1 of "Exploring women’s oxytocin responses to interactions with their pet cats (v0.2)"

2021

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Horses are sensitive to baby talk: pet-directed speech facilitates communication with humans in a pointing task and during grooming

Cited by 20 publications

References 30 publications

Horses with sustained attention follow the pointing of a human who knows where food is hidden

Horses with sustained attention follow the pointing of a human who knows where food is hidden

Exploring women’s oxytocin responses to interactions with their pet cats

Peer Review #1 of "Exploring women’s oxytocin responses to interactions with their pet cats (v0.2)"

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